UK Industrial Strategy: Growth-driving sectors (IS-8) mapping guide
We’ve mapped the eight priority growth sectors using real-time data and modern definitions, built with The Productivity Institute, government, and industry. Download the guide, explore the sectors, and share your feedback.
Modern Industrial Strategy Sector Mapping Guide
The most up-to-date framework for defining the UK’s growth-driving sectors (IS-8).
This guide supports the UK’s new Industrial Strategy with a clear, real-time approach to mapping the sectors powering economic growth.
Built by The Data City with The Productivity Institute, it combines RTICs and RSICs to deliver consistent, evidence-based definitions—ready for use in policy, funding and investment.
It covers all eight priority sectors, including Clean Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, AI, Life Sciences, Creative Industries and Defence.
Inside the guide:
- Full sector definitions aligned to IS-8
- Methodologies shaped by national and regional insight
- Clarity on sector overlap, digital enablement and emerging clusters
- A shared evidence base to support smarter decisions, faster
What’s new in V3?
This updated version builds on feedback from government, industry, and academia to improve and refine sector definitions and taxonomies. Here are the key updates:
- Defence: Working with ADS Group to develop a dedicated Defence RTIC, giving a clearer, forward-looking view of the sector.
- Digital and Technology: Space has been reclassified under a new Space Economy RTIC, created in collaboration with DSIT.
- Advanced Manufacturing: Space Autonomy and Robotics has been moved into the new Space Economy RTIC to better reflect sector overlaps.
- Full integration into The Data City platform: explore sector overlaps, cluster strengths, and regional insights in real time.
- RSICs now available for Industrial Strategy sectors for all users—at no extra cost.
Download our Modern Industrial Strategy Mapping Guide V3
Trusted and used across national and local government, our previous versions have been downloaded over 450 times. Version 3 builds on that momentum with updated definitions, improved methodology, and—for the first time—access to the live data in our platform.
Why it matters: establishing a shared evidence base
The absence of reliable industrial classifications for frontier economy sectors, such as Advanced Manufacturing and AI, has led to fragmented mapping processes and inconsistent data.
Regions bidding for central funding often define sectors differently, making comparisons difficult and forcing them to claim leadership in multiple sectors rather than focusing on genuine strengths.
The result?
- Wasted resources on duplicate mappings.
- Inconsistent taxonomies produce unreliable results.
- National and local governments struggle to identify real sector clusters and measure funding impact.
Following the release of Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy green paper, we’ve collaborated with The Productivity Institute and industry experts to map 8 high-value sectors using RTICs and SICs.
Our guide provides a framework for consistent, real-time sector mapping, helping stakeholders address key challenges raised in Invest 2035 and enabling better funding, policy, and investment decisions based on accurate, actionable data.
See the data in action
This isn’t just a report. The Industrial Strategy sectors are live and fully interactive inside The Data City platform. Dive into real-time data across all eight growth-driving sectors:
- Explore the IS-* growth sectors in real time – by region, cluster or theme
- Understand where jobs, businesses, and investment are really happening
- Compare sector strengths, overlaps, and opportunities
- Use consistent definitions for funding bids, policymaking, and strategy
Already a user? Log in now and explore. New here? Don’t miss out, start your free trial and see the future of sector mapping.
Collaborate with us
Thank you to everyone who helped shape Versions 1, 2, and 3 of this guide. The current mapping captures these sectors as they are today, but we know they’re evolving fast.
As we look ahead, we want to match the ambition of the Modern Industrial Strategy and take a forward-looking view. We’re inviting your thoughts on:
- Which of these sectors will change most over the next year
- The future growth areas we should start preparing to track
Join a growing community of policymakers, analysts and researchers already shaping the UK’s growth economy.
Share your feedback at [email protected].
Liberate your insights
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